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Everything You Need to Know About Destination Weddings

Thinking about a wedding in a far-off locale? Here's everything you need to know. Plus, check out our new e-brochure to find your perfect destination!

By:
Denise Schipani

Why Have a Destination Wedding?

Well, we’re tempted to say, “why not?” Planning a wedding away from home is attractive to different couples for different reasons. Here are just a few:

Photo Credit: Luciana Pampalone

1. You’ve always imagined your nuptials in a certain vacation spot. Maybe you spent an idyllic vacation earlier in your relationship at a gorgeous Caribbean resort or a laid-back Key West hotel. Or maybe one of you spent summer holidays at a quaint New England inn or a rustic Montana ranch. If it’s easy to graft a picture of yourselves in wedding duds onto those wonderful holiday memories, a destination wedding may be just the ticket for you.

2. Your families and friends are from here, there and everywhere. Many a couple with far-fl ung families have thrown up their hands in despair at trying to find a spot that suits everyone. Soon it occurs to them: If everyone’s going to have to travel anyway...Voilà, destination wedding.

3. You’re not into traditional hotel/ reception hall weddings. You’ve been there, done that (you know who you are—you’ve attended a wedding approximately 40 out of the last 52 weekends). All of these kinds of options are leaving you cold. But someplace warm? Ah, now that’s a different story.

4. You want to make the planning easier (yes, easier). It’s true that any wedding—whether at home or away— can morph into a logistical nightmare. But because many resorts and hotels have on-site wedding coordinators that do all the legwork for you, a destination wedding can be less stressful to plan.

5. You want to streamline costs (or even, in some cases, save money). No one can definitively say that a destination wedding costs less than an at-home reception. But no one can say it costs more, either. However, it often turns out to be easier to keep costs in check in a faraway locale. Two reasons: One, you’re likely to have a smaller guest list (the biggest way to save $$ on your wedding is to keep the list lean); and two, your choices are less copious than they might be at home. When you’re planning from afar, it all seems exotic and wonderful, so you’re more likely to be happy with the simple clutch of local flowers the hotel provides, whereas at home you’d be visiting a half-dozen florists and being tempted by a more lavish (and pricey) bouquet.